Pakistan Junior League: Youngster Aimal Khan nails a searing swinging yorker in the opening game

The Pakistan Junior League (PJL) kicked off on October 6 (Thursday) with the first match of the tournament being played between Gujranwala Giants and Mardan Warriors at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. Mardan Warriors came out victorious as they easily defeated the Giants with eight wickets to spare.

Meanwhile, Mardan's pacer Aimal Khan impressed everyone with his death bowling ability as he nailed a perfect swinging yorker to send one of the Giant's batters back to the pavillion. The right-arm pacer was the top performer for his side as he scalped three wickets and gave away just 15 runs in his four-over quota.

Waqar Younis-type delivery, said commentator on air

Aimal was constantly breaching the 85mph mark and was very accurate with his line and lengths. He also bagged the wicket of the opposition's skipper Uzair Mumtaz who was playing well for his 54 runs, but he got cleaned up by a searing yorker from Aimal. 

Name's Aimal Khan! #Next11 l #PJL I #GGvMW pic.twitter.com/Fnnc7qwj2Q

— Pakistan Junior League (@ThePJLofficial) October 6, 2022

As mentioned above, the Giants failed to win the match as they posted a total of 131-7, which was chased down by Mardan Warriors in only 16.5 overs with eight wickets to spare. Meanwhile, the second match of the competition will be played between Bahawalpur Royals and Hyderabad Hunters on Friday. 

Talking more about the tournament, all matches in the competition are scheduled to be played at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. According to Ramiz Raja, Pakistan Junior League is "a city-based league with players to be selected through a draft system involving international age-group cricketers.”

Six teams are participating in the competition namely Gujranwala Giants, Mardan Warriors, Gwadar Sharks, Bahawalpur Royals, Hyderabad Hunters, and Rawalpindi Raiders. All of these teams are mentored by former International cricketers like Shahid Afridi, Daren Sammy, Colin Munro, Imran Tahir, Viv Richards, and Shoaib Malik.